Tag Archives: Consumer brands

Scandlines appoints Vagn Sørensen as Chairman

3I

Scandlines, the German-Danish, green and innovative ferry operator in the Baltic Sea, has appointed Vagn Sørensen as Chairman as of 01 January 2020.

Vagn Sørensen brings over 30 years’ experience from international business and the aviation industry in particular. He joined Scandinavian Airlines in 1984 and became Executive Vice President in 1994. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Austrian Airlines in 2001, stepping down in 2006 to successfully pursue a plural career.

Vagn Sørensen has extensive experience across both executive and non-executive positions internationally. He currently holds a number of roles, including Chairman of

Air Canada, Chairman of FLSmidth & Co., Chairman of SSP Group Plc and Chairman of Flying Tiger Copenhagen. Vagn Sørensen is also a board member at Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

Scandlines will benefit from Vagn Sørensen’s leadership skills and his extensive commercial experience, gained from a variety of businesses operating in similar industries as Scandlines.

Vagn Sørensen says: “I am delighted to be joining Scandlines as Chairman. I am excited by the company’s green agenda, its growth prospects and strong customer focus. I look forward to working with Søren Poulsgaard Jensen and the management team to continue Scandlines’ development.”

Søren Poulsgaard, CEO of Scandlines, comments:  “I am happy to welcome Vagn as Chairman. His knowledge and experience will be invaluable as we pursue our green strategy, continually enhance our customer experience and modernise our fleet.”

Vagn Sørensen takes over the position as Chairman from Steve Ridgway, who joined Scandlines as Chairman in 2014. Steve Ridgway comments: “I have enjoyed the journey with Scandlines since 2014 and I am happy to pass the keys on to an experienced operator with a track record of building big brands in the leisure travel and retail sector.”

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About Scandlines

Scandlines stands as a symbol of a historical and close cooperation between Denmark and Germany. Scandlines runs two ferry routes with high capacity and frequency as well as with a green vision for the future.

The core business is to provide an efficient and reliable transport service for both passengers and freight customers. The main focus for all activities in Scandlines is to create value for our customers on board the ferries as well as in our shops.

With more than 43,000 departures on 8 ferries, in 2018 Scandlines transported 7.4 million passengers, 1.8 million cars and more than 700,000 freight units and 36,000 busses on the routes Puttgarden-Rødby and Rostock-Gedser.

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Hellman & Friedman to Acquire AutoScout24

Hellman & Friedman

MUNICH, Germany

AutoScout24, the leading European digital car marketplace, today announced that affiliates of Hellman & Friedman LLC (“H&F”) have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the company from Scout24.

With over 10 million monthly users, 2.5 million cars listed and 45,000 car dealer customers, AutoScout24 is the leading online car classifieds platform in Europe. The company is based in Munich and has a presence in 18 countries.

Blake Kleinman, Partner of Hellman & Friedman said: “We have known AutoScout24 for many years. We are excited to partner with the AutoScout24 team to build upon the historical successes that we achieved together. We are strong believers in AutoScout24’s consumer-centric approach; we look forward to working with its dealer customers to offer them value-added marketing solutions as they continue to digitalise their business models. This transaction will help AutoScout24 focus on the growth opportunities ahead.”

Tobias Hartmann, CEO of Scout24 added: “This transaction is an important milestone for Scout24. Separating ImmoScout24 and AutoScout24 will help each business focus on their respective growth opportunities and accelerate shareholder value creation.”

“We are delighted to resume our partnership with AutoScout24. We sincerely thank Hans-Holger Albrecht and the Supervisory Board as well as Tobias Hartmann and the entire Scout24 Management Board for the opportunity to support the business once more. This transaction is an outstanding outcome for Scout24, its shareholders as well as for AutoScout24” added Patrick Healy, CEO of Hellman & Friedman.

The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2020. J.P. Morgan acted as sole financial advisor, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer as legal counsel to H&F for this transaction.

About Hellman & Friedman LLC
Hellman & Friedman is a leading private equity investment firm with offices in San Francisco, New York, and London. Since its founding in 1984, H&F has raised over $50 billion of committed capital. The firm focuses on investing in outstanding business franchises and serving as a value-added partner to management in select industries including financial services, business & information services, software, healthcare, internet & media, retail & consumer, and industrials & energy. For more information, please visit www.hf.com.

About Scout24
AutoScout24 is the largest pan-European online car marketplace. The marketplace allows users to easily find, buy and finance the right car. With more than 36 million downloads, AutoScout24’s app was awarded the title of Germany’s best car app*. The Company generated €235m in 2018 and has delivered consistent double-digit revenue growth and margin expansion throughout the last decade. The company is headquartered in Munich and operates in 18 markets. In addition to the AutoScout24 car classifieds websites, the transaction perimeter includes Finanzcheck, a leading German online brokerage business.

*by Focus Money

For further information, please contact:
Felix Schönauer
+49 69 92 18 74-59

 

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KDC/ONE to Merge with HCT Group

Cdpq

Québec, Private Equity Longueuil, Québec and Los Angeles,
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Creates a Global Leader in Manufacturing and Packaging Solutions for the Beauty and Personal Care Industry

Knowlton Development Corporation (“KDC/ONE”), a leading value-added partner to beauty, health and personal care brands, and HCT Group (“HCT”), an innovative, global leader delivering full-service solutions in the design, engineering, manufacturing, formulation, filling and logistics of cosmetics products, today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to create a comprehensive global end-to-end solutions provider for the beauty and personal care industry.

As an innovative, global one-stop solution for customers ranging from Fortune 500 companies to indie, emerging and prestige brands, the two companies will partner to provide customers with an expanded suite of manufacturing and packaging solutions. Following the close of the transaction, Nicholas Whitley, President and CEO of KDC/ONE, and Tim Thorpe, President and CEO of HCT, will continue as CEOs of each business.

Established in 2002, KDC/ONE has grown organically and through acquisitions to become a leading custom formulator and manufacturer serving the prestige beauty, personal care and household sectors. With 16 state-of-the art manufacturing facilities in North America and Europe, KDC/ONE offers high-touch innovation, operational excellence and speed to market to well-known and emerging brands. In December 2018, Cornell Capital, together with Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (“CDPQ”), Investissement Québec (“IQ”) and HarbourVest Partners, LLC (“HarbourVest”), acquired KDC/ONE with a focus on driving international growth and enhancing the company’s high-quality manufacturing capabilities. Since then, KDC/ONE has made three acquisitions to scale the platform, acquire new technologies and expand globally.

Founded by Chris Thorpe, along with his wife Clare and eldest son James in 1992, HCT has grown organically to become a global leader providing full-service, turnkey solutions across concept development and design, manufacturing, fill and assembly, and logistics and operations. With headquarters in Santa Monica and offices in New York, New Jersey, London, Paris, Milan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Shanghai, HCT partners with more than 400 clients comprising some of the most iconic names and most successful beauty brands across indie, prestige and mass segments.

“This transformative transaction will enhance how we serve beauty and personal care brands around the world,” said Nicholas Whitley. “Our vertically integrated platform will offer the industry a true one-stop solution. With the support of our partners at Cornell Capital, as well as CDPQ, IQ and HarbourVest, we have been able to build our reputation as a top-tier innovator for an expanded base of customers. HCT’s cutting-edge designs, engineering, manufacturing and global reach will enable us to further elevate our product and service offerings to better serve and anticipate the evolving needs of our valued customers.”

“KDC/ONE and HCT have highly complementary business models and together will offer a unique solution to our world-class client base,” said Tim Thorpe. “The transaction will enable us to leverage adjacent customer relationships, geographic footprints and products. On behalf of my family and the entire company, I’m proud of all that we have accomplished and look forward to exploring synergies across both businesses for the benefit of customers and employees.”

“Together, these businesses will provide greater innovation and growth opportunities in one of the most attractive subsectors in the CPG space,” said Justine Cheng, Chair of the KDC/ONE Board of Directors and Partner at Cornell Capital. “KDC/ONE and HCT have best-in-class management teams and we expect that KDC/ONE’s manufacturing capabilities with HCT’s packaging design expertise will enable the new platform to better serve its customers globally. In addition, the transaction will improve the overall financial profile of the companies through further diversification and increased scale.”

Charles Émond, Executive Vice-President, Québec, Private Equity and Strategic Planning, at CDPQ added, “As a longstanding partner of KDC/ONE, we are pleased to support this Quebec-based company as it continues to grow into a global leader in the industry. This transaction strongly positions KDC/ONE as it executes on its acquisition and diversification strategy.”

Financing for the transaction will include significant equity reinvestment from Cornell Capital, as well as from the other existing financial sponsors and HCT management. UBS Securities LLC and Jefferies LLC are acting as joint lead arrangers for the transaction, with UBS as the left lead arranger. Specific financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in early 2020 and is subject to customary closing conditions.

Jefferies Group LLC is acting as financial advisor to KDC/ONE and Cornell Capital, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP is acting as legal advisor. Houlihan Lokey is acting as financial advisor to HCT, and Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP is acting as legal advisor.

About KDC/ONE

KDC/ONE is the largest North American custom innovator, formulator and manufacturer serving the prestige beauty, personal care and household sectors. Established in 2002, KDC/ONE is headquartered in Longueuil, Québec and employs over 5,000 employees across 16 state-of-the-art facilities throughout North America, the UK, France and the Czech Republic. KDC/ONE also operates two state-of-the-art innovation and R&D centers, one in Saddle Brook, New Jersey and one in Irvine, California. The business delivers high-touch innovation, operational excellence and speed to market to well-known and indie, emerging and prestige brands. Over the past four years, KDC/ONE has experienced rapid growth through the successful completion of eight notable acquisitions, most recently in California and Europe with the acquisitions of Benchmark Cosmetics Laboratories, of the ALKOS Group and of the manufacturing operations of Swallowfield plc. For more information, visit www.kdc-one.com.

About HCT Group

For over 25 years, HCT Group has remained a global leader in cosmetic manufacturing — and partners with many of the most successful beauty brands to create the industry’s most iconic products. Founded by Chris Thorpe, along with his wife Clare and eldest son James in 1992, HCT provides full-service, turnkey solutions across concept development and design, manufacturing, fill and assembly, and logistics and operations. With headquarters in Santa Monica and offices in New York, New Jersey, London, Paris, Hong Kong, South Korea and Shanghai, HCT partners with more than 400 clients comprising some of the most iconic names and most successful beauty brands across indie, prestige and mass segments. For more information, visit www.hctgroup.com.

About Cornell Capital

Cornell Capital LLC is a private investment firm that takes a value-driven approach to investing. Partnering with strong and entrepreneurial management teams, the firm seeks opportunities in market- leading businesses across the consumer, financial and industrial/business services sectors. Founder and Senior Partner Henry Cornell, who served as the Vice Chairman of Goldman Sachs’ Merchant Banking Division prior to founding Cornell Capital in 2013, leads a highly seasoned senior leadership team with decades of shared investing experience. The firm currently manages over $3.1 billion of assets and has offices in New York and Hong Kong. For more information, visit www.cornellcapllc.com.

About CAISSE DE DÉPÔT ET PLACEMENT DU QUÉBEC

Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) is a long-term institutional investor that manages funds primarily for public and parapublic pension and insurance plans. As at June 30, 2019, it held CAD 326.7 billion in net assets. As one of Canada’s leading institutional fund managers, CDPQ invests globally in major financial markets, private equity, infrastructure, real estate and private debt. For more information, visit cdpq.com, follow us on Twitter @LaCDPQ or consult our Facebook or LinkedIn pages.

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3i to receive c. £102m cash from Audley Travel and Hans Anders

3I

3i-backed Audley Travel (“Audley”) and Hans Anders to return c. £102m in cash to 3i Group plc (“3i Group”).

Audley, a leading provider of tailor-made experiential travel, has completed a dividend recapitalisation. 3i Group will receive £67m from this transaction, which together with the shareholder distribution 12 months ago, takes total cash return to date to 3i Group to £93m, equivalent to 0.6x its original investment. For the £67m received from this transaction, it is expected that £18m will be treated as income and the remaining balance as capital proceeds.

3i Group invested in Audley in 2015 to build on its market-leading UK presence and support international growth, particularly in the US, where Audley has seen a 5x increase in bookings over the last 4 years.

Following its acquisition of eyes + more in January 2019, Hans Anders, a market leading, value-formoney optical retailer in North-West Europe has also completed a refinancing. 3i Group will receive €42m (£35m1), which will be treated as a partial return of its investment in Hans Anders.

3i Group invested in Hans Anders in 2017. The fragmented European optical retail market presents significant growth opportunities for Hans Anders.

 

1 Based on a GBPEUR FX rate of 1.19

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For further information, contact:
3i Group plc

Silvia Santoro
Shareholder enquiries		 Tel: +44 20 7975 3258
Email: silvia.santoro@3i.com
Kathryn van der Kroft
Media enquiries		 Tel: +44 20 7975 3021
Email: kathryn.vanderkroft@3i.com

 

Notes to editors

About 3i Group

3i is a leading international investment manager focused on mid-market Private Equity and Infrastructure. Its core investment markets are northern Europe and North America. For further information, please visit: www.3i.com

About Audley Travel

Audley is a leading provider of tailor-made experiential travel to over 80 destinations worldwide. Serving clients predominantly in the UK and US, Audley is renowned for its superior customer service and in-depth destination expertise delivered by its country specialists. For more information, please visit www.audleytravel.com

About Hans Anders

Founded in 1982 and headquartered in the Netherlands, Hans Anders is a market leading, value-formoney optical retailer in North-West Europe. The company operates under the Hans Anders, eyes + more and Direkt Optik retail banners, and offers a range of private label and branded spectacles, hearing aids, contact lenses and sunglasses at average price points significantly below its major competitors. For more information, please visit www.hansanders.nl

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ICE acquires WMPH Vacations to expand its cruise business and add new product capabilities

3I

3i-backed International Cruise & Excursions (“ICE”), a global leader in travel loyalty solutions, has acquired We Make People Happy Vacations (“WMPH”), a leading cruise travel agency. Don Walker and Uf Tukel, the WMPH co-founders, are re-investing alongside 3i and the other ICE shareholders. Don and Uf will join ICE and take on senior leadership roles for the combined business.

Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Delray, Florida, WMPH is a key partner to all major cruise lines, operating through its primary brand, iCruise, which is a leader in the industry and one of the best online resources for consumers to research and book cruises.

The acquisition will help enhance ICE’s cruise offering and will provide new sales capabilities, digital marketing and product technology. This will strengthen ICE’s travel-oriented closed-user groups (CUGs) and further enhance ICE’s leading cruise programmes.

Brian Fontana, CEO, ICE, commented: “We see a number of commercial synergies between the two organisations, and look forward to this next phase of the journey for WMPH and ICE. We would like to welcome co-founders Don Walker and Uf Tukel to the ICE team.”

Andrew Olinick, Partner at 3i, US added: “ICE has a track record of long term growth and introducing innovation into the travel industry.  ICE remains committed to cruise as a core market and we are excited about the significant new business and organic growth opportunities with WMPH in the ICE family.”

WMPH will continue to operate from its Delray, Florida headquarters, with support from ICE’s international service centres.  Located near major cruise suppliers, the company is well positioned to build and maintain partner relationships.  Founders Uf Tukel and Don Walker will join the leadership team at ICE and strengthen ICE’s commitment to excellence in cruise, product and marketing solutions.

3i invested in ICE in June 2018. ICE is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona with additional offices in Carlsbad, Australia, UK, Portugal, India, Mexico, New Zealand and the Philippines. It provides technology-based travel loyalty solutions for organisations such as Carnival, American Express, USAA and Diamond Resorts.

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Gryphon Investors Invests in Heartland Veterinary Partners

Gryphon Investors

Leading General Veterinary Practice Headquartered in the Midwest Provides Proven Platform for Continued Expansion

San Francisco, CA – December 12, 2019 —Gryphon Investors (“Gryphon”), a San Francisco-based middle-market private equity firm, announced today that it has made a majority investment in Heartland Veterinary Partners (“Heartland” or “the Company”), a leading veterinary support organization in the Mid-American and Southern U.S. markets. Tyree & D’Angelo Partners (“TDP”) and management will retain minority stakes alongside Gryphon. This transaction marks a continuation of Gryphon’s successful track record in helping to build leading multi-site healthcare services businesses. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Chicago, the Company partners with over 200 veterinarians across nearly 100 veterinary practices. The Company is focused on providing high-quality general veterinary services to companion animals and has an exceptional reputation within the industry due to its veterinarian-centric mission, vision, and values. CEO Dr. George Robinson, a 30-year veterinarian and industry expert, will remain with the Company and will retain an ownership stake, as will other members of senior management.

“Pets are an important part of the family unit in America. American pet ownership continues to grow and there is a long-term trend towards high-quality preventative care as well as exceptional medical treatment to improve the lives of pets,” said Kevin Blank, Healthcare Operating Partner at Gryphon. He added, “We believe that Heartland is well-positioned for growth in the highly fragmented veterinary services market and has demonstrated an ability to partner with veterinarians to better serve their communities.”

Luke Schroeder, Gryphon Principal, said, “Heartland offers scalable systems, standardized back office support operations, and a predictable and attractive business model generating strong, cash-based revenue. The Company has a terrific reputation as a partner of choice for veterinarians and there are opportunities to continue to grow the customer base and expand the services offered to pet owners. In addition, we will continue to prioritize growth through acquisitions.”

“We’re pleased to partner with Gryphon, which has a long track record of helping companies like ours successfully grow their businesses,” said Dr. Robinson. “With the support of Gryphon’s deep operational and financial resources, we look forward to expanding our network of affiliated veterinarian hospitals and accelerating growth across our core geographies.”

Houlihan Lokey acted as financial advisor to Gryphon, and William Blair was the financial advisor to Heartland. Kirkland & Ellis acted as legal advisor to Gryphon, and Winston & Strawn acted as legal advisor to Heartland.

About Heartland Veterinary Partners
Heartland Veterinary Partners is one of the highest quality and fastest growing veterinary support organizations in the United States, with nearly 100 veterinary practices across the Mid-American and Southern markets. Heartland’s footprint continues to rapidly expand through the successful execution of veterinary practice acquisitions and partnerships with independent practicing veterinarians focused on delivering general veterinary services to companion animals. For more information, please visit www.heartlandvetpartners.com.

About Gryphon Investors
Based in San Francisco, Gryphon Investors (www.gryphoninvestors.com) is a leading private equity firm focused on profitably growing and competitively enhancing middle-market companies in partnership with experienced management. The firm has managed over $5.0 billion of equity investments and capital since 1997. Gryphon targets making equity investments of $100 million to $300 million in portfolio companies with sales ranging from approximately $100 million to $500 million. Gryphon prioritizes investment opportunities where it can form strong partnerships with owners and executives to build leading companies, utilizing Gryphon’s capital, specialized professional resources, and operational expertise.

About Tyree & D’Angelo Partners
Based in Chicago, IL, Tyree & D’Angelo Partners is a leading lower middle market private equity firm that makes control ownership investments in businesses that generate less than $50 million of annual revenue and $1–$5 million of EBITDA. TDP seeks to establish true collaborative partnerships with business owners and management teams that will lead to substantial creation of value over a long-term investment horizon. To date, TDP has completed over 200 partnerships across its portfolio companies. For more information, please visit www.tdpfund.com.

Contacts

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Providence and Warner Music Group Launch Tempo Music Investments

Providence

WARNER MUSIC GROUP AND PROVIDENCE EQUITY PARTNERS JOIN FORCES TO INVEST IN MUSIC CATALOGS

New Platform to Promote Recording Artists and Songwriters Across the Globe

NEW YORK, NY – December 10, 2019: Warner Music Group (“WMG”) and Providence Equity Partners (“Providence”) today announced plans to invest in world-class recorded music and music publishing catalogs via a newly established platform, Tempo Music Investments (“Tempo”).

Tempo was launched with $650 million in equity and debt capacity, with most of the equity coming from Providence, a leading investment firm specializing in the media, communications, education and information industries. WMG will handle administration for music publishing and distribution for recorded music, drawing on its vast, deep-rooted music industry expertise, resources and network. Tempo will enlist Influence Media Partners, a new management company, to explore investment opportunities and drive catalog performance.

“More than ever before, the long-lasting value of music is being recognized outside the music industry. We’ll be devoted stewards of these amazing catalogs created by songwriters and recording artists across the globe, and WMG is very happy to be partnering with Providence in this pioneering venture,” said Stu Bergen, CEO, International and Global Commercial Services, Warner Music Group.

Josh Empson, Managing Director at Providence, said, “It is a privilege to partner again with Warner Music Group. We are excited about this innovative new relationship, which combines Providence’s investment expertise in media with WMG’s distinctive skill in working with and recognizing top artists and assets in music. We look forward to partnering with WMG and our investment management team to support creators and build a best-in-class portfolio of music assets.”

Among the first acquisitions of the venture are selected copyrights of Grammy Award-winning songwriters Jeff Bhasker, Shane McAnally and Ben Rector. With 15 nominations and five Grammy wins including Producer of the Year, Bhasker has worked with some of the biggest names in the business. McAnally is a three-time Grammy winner and seven-time nominee who also serves as Co-President of Monument Records. Independent artist Rector is a rising singer-songwriter with success in licensing music across numerous TV shows, national ad campaigns and movie trailers.

About Warner Music Group
With its broad roster of new stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is home to a collection of the best-known record labels in the music industry including Asylum, Atlantic, Big Beat, Canvasback, East West, Elektra, Erato, FFRR, Fueled by Ramen, Nonesuch, Parlophone, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Sire, Spinnin’, Warner Records, Warner Classics, and Warner Music Nashville, as well as Warner Chappell Music, one of the world’s leading music publishers, with a catalog of more than 1.4 million copyrights worldwide.

About Providence Equity Partners
Providence is a premier global asset management firm with over $45 billion in aggregate capital commitments. Providence pioneered a sector-focused approach to private equity investing with the vision that a dedicated team of industry experts could build exceptional companies of enduring value. Since the firm’s inception in 1989, Providence has invested in more than 200 companies and has become a leading equity investment firm focused on the media, communications, education and information industries. Providence is headquartered in Providence, RI, and also has offices in New York and London. For more information, please visit https://www.provequity.com.

Contact:

Warner Music Group
Summer Wilkie, 212-275-3921
summer.wilkie@wmg.com

Providence Equity Partners
Andrew Cole / Kelsey Markovich, 212-687-8080
Prov-SVC@sardverb.com

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EURAZEO Brands complets investment in Herschel Supply CO.

Eurazeo

Paris, December 5, 2019 – Eurazeo Brands announces the completion of its minority investment in Herschel Supply Co. (“Herschel”), a design-driven global lifestyle brand. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, Herschel is known for transforming the classic backpack and offering other timeless accessory products which are sold in over 90 countries. Eurazeo Brands, the division of Eurazeo focused on differentiated consumer brands with global growth potential, has invested $60Min Herschel.Additional capital was provided by a consortium of investors including Alliance Consumer Growth,a leading consumer-focused growth equity firm, and HOOPP Capital Partners, the private capital arm of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan.

Eurazeo Brands aims to invest a total of $800 million in high potential North American and European consumer companies across a wide range of verticals including beauty, fashion, home, wellness, leisure and food. The transaction represents Eurazeo Brands’ fifth investment in North America and first investment in a Canadian brand.

About Eurazeo

Eurazeo is a leading global investment company, with a diversified portfolio of €18 billion in assets under management, including nearly €11.9 billion from third parties, invested in nearly 400 companies. With its considerable private equity, real estate, private debt and fund of funds expertise, Eurazeo accompanies companies of all sizes, supporting their development through the commitment of its 235 professionals and by offering deep sector expertise, a gateway to global markets, and a responsible and stable foothold for transformational growth. Its solid institutional and family shareholder base, robust financial structure free of structural debt, and flexible investment horizon enable Eurazeo to support its companies over the long term.

Eurazeo has offices in Paris, New York, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, London, Luxembourg, Frankfurt and Madrid.Eurazeo is listed on Euronext Paris.ISIN: FR0000121121 -Bloomberg: RF FP -Reuters: EURA.PA

About Herschel Supply Co.

Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, Herschel Supply Co.is a design-driven global lifestyle brand that produces timeless products with utility design. Founded in 2009 by brothers Jamie, Lyndon and Jason Cormack, Herschel’s product range has expanded from backpacks to include luggage, headwear, accessories, apparel and more. Today, Herschel products are sold in over 90 countries with over 9,000 points of distribution worldwide and the support of over 250 employees across offices in Vancouver, New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Ghent and London.

EURAZEO CONTACTS

PIERRE BERNARDIN

Head of Investor Relations

email: pbernardin@eurazeo.comTel: +33 (0)1 44 15 16 76

VIRGINIE CHRISTNACHT

Head of Communications

email: vchristnacht@eurazeo.comTel: +33 (0)1 44 15 76 44

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Cinven to invest in Barentz

Cinven

Cinven, the international private equity firm, today announces that it has reached an agreement to become a shareholder of Barentz (the ’Group’), a global specialty ingredients distributor for the food, pharmaceutical, personal care and animal nutrition markets. Financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

Headquartered in the Netherlands, Barentz distributes ingredients and additives for products to small and medium-sized enterprises (‘SMEs’) and large customers globally. The Group sources branded specialty ingredients from leading manufacturers worldwide, and its ingredient experts provide value-added technical support (including pre-mixing, blending, ingredient formulation and ingredient testing) from its state-of-the-art production facilities in Europe, North America and Asia.

Established in 1953, Barentz has operations in more than 60 countries with a strong presence in Europe and Asia, and a growing presence in North America and Latin America. Today, the Group employs circa 1,100 people worldwide, sources ingredients from more than 1,000 suppliers and serves more than 15,000 customers.

Cinven’s Business Services and Benelux teams identified Barentz as an attractive investment opportunity, given its:

  • Strong presence in attractive, structurally growing and resilient markets;
  • Value-added proposition to both a large number of ingredient manufacturers and a highly diversified end-customer base;
  • Significant buy and build opportunity in a highly fragmented market. Barentz has a proven track record of executing and integrating acquisitions;
  • Strong historic financial performance and cash generation;
  • Opportunity to accelerate the growth of the business through investment in the Group’s infrastructure as well as R&D capabilities; and
  • Highly experienced management team, led by CEO Hidde van der Wal.

Ben Osnabrug, Partner at Cinven, commented:

“Barentz has a strong presence in a structurally growing market. The Cinven team knows the specialty distribution sector well; a number of key trends are driving the growth of the food and life sciences ingredients market, including a shift towards natural ingredients, increased demand for customised formulations, and a growing share of manufacturers using distributors to drive market access and to improve efficiencies.

“Cinven’s investment in Barentz resulted from a combination of our detailed sub-sector approach within Business Services and our regional network in the Netherlands, and we are delighted to invest in this primary opportunity. In particular, Barentz has an excellent management team whom we are backing to pursue both organic and acquisition-led growth.”

Hidde van der Wal, Chief Executive of Barentz, said:

“We are delighted to be working with Cinven on the next phase of our growth. The Cinven team has really impressed us with their understanding of our market and their strong track record of growing businesses internationally. 

“In particular, their investment and support for our business strategy will enable us to expand our operations into new geographic markets, including through acquisition, and will ensure we have the right infrastructure to achieve this.”

Completion of the transaction is subject to customary conditions including competition clearances.

1602 Capital Partners acted as M&A advisor for Cinven.

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Sun Capital Partners Affiliate Makes a Control Investment in National Tree, a Leading E-Commerce Wholesaler of Seasonal and Holiday Décor

Sun Capital

Sun Capital Partners, Inc. (“Sun Capital”), a leading private investment firm focused on investing in market-leading companies, today announced that an affiliate has completed the acquisition of National Tree Company (or “The Company,”) a leading e-commerce wholesaler of seasonal and holiday décor, with a particular focus on the Christmas holiday. Terms of the private transaction were not disclosed.

Founded by Sal Puleo, Sr. in 1990 and headquartered in Cranford, New Jersey, National Tree Company is a family-operated business that has established itself as the clear leader in seasonal and holiday décor. Today the business is led by the original founder’s three sons, Joe, Sal (Jr) and Rich Puleo. The Company offers more than 4,500 SKUs and has strong relationships with many of the most popular online retailers.

“The Puleo family has done a tremendous job with National Tree Company, achieving impressive market share and consistent growth,” said Marc Leder, Co-CEO of Sun Capital. “This is a great opportunity for Sun Capital to work with the Puleo family to invest in the growth of the business. We believe National Tree has the dropship capabilities and customer relationships to expand its product range both organically and through strategic acquisitions.”

National Tree Company is one of the largest domestic wholesalers of artificial Christmas trees. The Company was recently awarded “Best Artificial Christmas Trees of 2019” by Better Homes & Gardens and has won other “Best of” awards from organizations including Wirecutter, House Beautiful, Business Insider, The Today Show, Good Housekeeping, and Bob Vila.

“We were attracted to National Tree Company’s strengths in design, procurement, and dropship fulfillment—a comprehensive capability you don’t often find,” said Matthew Garff, Managing Director at Sun Capital. “National Tree Company’s sourcing and logistics capabilities span the entire products’ value chain, allowing the Company to partner with online retailers and provide customers a wide assortment of product choices quickly and economically.”

For more information:
Emily Meringolo
Stanton
646-502-3599
emeringolo@StantonPRM.com

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